Art Jobs

If you are truly serious about researching art jobs, Internet research is just the beginning.

Once you've reviewed online information about careers in art and narrowed your options down to two or three possibilities that interest you, the next step, if you're truly serious, is to conduct a few informational interviews.

An informational interview is an excellent way to truly learn about a specific type of job. It is the best way to get relatively unbiased information about your possible career options and to assess whether the art job you had in mind would truly be a good fit for you. I personally would never make a career choice without doing a few informational interviews first.

If you've never heard of an informational interview, it is simply an interview that you arrange with someone who works in an industry that is of interest to you. The reason for the interview is not to ask for a job, but to gather information about a specific type of job.

I am positive that most people are very skeptical about the process of informational interviews. I know when I first learned about this technique, I thought it was one of those silly exercise that career counselors told people to do, but nobody really did it.

It may be true that few people actually do informational interviews, but those who do have a huge advantage in making smart career choices. I have set up plenty of these interviews for myself, and I have helped clients and friends set up informational interviews, and I have always found that people are very willing to help out and provide excellent information that you couldn't get from anyone other than an industry insider.

Who should I interview?

You may set up interviews with human resource professionals in a company that is of interest to you, and/or with people who do the type of job that is of interest to you. It depends on who is available and what type of information you are seeking.

Human Resource Professionals Know About

• Labor market trends in your field of interest
  
• Whether employers are hiring in your field of interest
  
• What skills, experience and education you'll need to land a job
  
• Standard career progression for someone in your field of interest
  
• Way in which that career may change in the future

People Who Do the Type of Work That Interests You Know About

• The day to day responsibilities of the job
  
• Tasks they perform that you may not realize are part of the job
  
• Positives and negatives (in their opinion)related to the job
  
• People who do the job that's of interest to you surprisingly often are unable to tell you a lot about the labor market in their field of work. You'll usually get better labor market information from human resource professionals in the field.

How do I find people to interview?

Simply look in business directories or on websites belonging to companies that are of interest to you. Do some research and get an actual name if possible, then just give those people a call (calling is much better than emailing because emails are less personal and easy to ignore). Try not to let nervousness stop you from trying this technique. You would be surprised by the number of people who are open to giving informational interviews.

Be sure to tell the person you contact that you are looking for information only, not a job.

What questions should I ask?

Be sure to do your research about the art jobs that interest you so you'll be able to ask some intelligent, well thought out questions. Here are a few general questions to get your started:

• Can you describe a typical day on the job?
  
• How did you get started doing this job work?
  
• What surprised you the most when you started working in this field?
  
• What is your favorite part of your job?
  
• What is your least favorite part of your job?
  
• How do you see this industry developing and changing in the future?
  
• What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started in this type of work?
  
• What kind of education ad experience are employers typically looking for when hiring people for this type of job?
  
• May I have your business card?
  Ask for a business card so you have all of the information needed to contact this person in the future. They may become an important part of your network as you start your new career.
  
• Is there anyone else I might talk to about this? May I use your name when I contact that person?
  Your contact may give you the name of another person people who you can interview, and when you mention your contact's name to the next person, you next interview will be that much easier to arrange.

Final Tips

• Type out a list of the informational interview questions you want to ask and bring it with you. Once you get a few questions into the interview, you probably won't need the list, but it will help you to stay focussed and look professional and well prepared.
  
• Feel free to write down a few notes during an informational interview if you need to remember important points. Just ask your contact if he or she is comfortable with that (they will be fine - asking is a friendly courtesy).
  
• Always bring your resume to an informational interview. It's not always appropriate to present your resume during this type of interview, but the conversation may turn in that direction, and you'll want to be prepared. Your contact may know of an art job opening in your area of interest or he or she may be open to reviewing your current qualifications to help you decide what additional qualifications or skills you may need for the art job that interests you.
  
• Bring your own personal business cards to every informational interview. Again, your contact may become an important part of your business network, so you'll want to give him or her all of your contact information.